A mote is a node in a wireless network and often refers back to a relatively small sensor with energy storage. They have been used in many diverse applications, from earthquake measurements to warfare.
Such related art motes typically include a controller, transceiver, power source and one or more sensors. One example of environmental monitoring can be found in the NASA sensor web. This network includes spatially distributed sensors that wirelessly communicate with each other. In this network, every mote sends out collected data to every other mote, so substantially every mote knows what is happening in the network.
The position of the individual motes should typically be known when using such related art networks for environmental mapping. This is typically done using GPS systems to provide information on each one of the individual motes in the network. However, in some remote environments, such as, for example, oil wells or sewer systems in cities, the GPS signal does not reach the individual motes and other means of mapping the environment have to be found.